Sheep-hook.



A. G. ADAIR.

SHEEP HOOK.

APPLICATION FILED MAR 2, 1914 Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

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ADOLPHUS G. ADAIR, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

SHEEP-HOOK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

Application filed March 2, 1914. Serial No. 822,057.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AnoLrnUs G. Anne, acitizen of the United States, and resident of Seattle, King county,Washington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSheep-Hooks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in sheep hooks, and comprises thenovel parts and combinations which will be hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

The ob 'ect of my invention is to provide an effective, simple and cheapconstruction, by which the gap or mouth of the hook will beautomatically closed by the entry of the sheeps leg, thereby insuring amore effective holding of the animal.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown my invention in 1ts presentpreferred form.

Figure 1 is a side plan of my invention, with a part of the shank sideof the hook broken away to show the peculiar construe tion. Fig. 2 is aview taken at right angles to that of Fig. 1, with the outer or guardside of the hook removed by a section through the throat.

Upon the shank side 1 of the hook I pivot a gap-closing member 2, which,when the hook is set in position for catching a sheep, lies alongsidethe shank, and thus does not in any way affect the opening of the hook.The manner of constructing these parts which I prefer consists inproviding the shank side of the hook with a central slot 12 which liesin the main plane of the hook, and in this pivoting a flat portion 21 ofthe gap-closing member, as by pin 22. The projecting end of thegap-closing member is preferably widened, as by flanges 20, so as toprovide a broader surface for engagement of the leg. Where, as Igenerally prefer to do, the device is to be provided with means forlocking this gap-closing member in position where it extends across thehook, I provide the flat pivoted end 21 with teeth 23 which will beengaged by the toothed end 41 of a pawl or looking lever 4, which liesin the slot 12, and is pivoted by pin 40. The end 42 of this pawl levernormally projects slightly from the shank so that it may be pressedinward,

to thus free the gap-closing member 2. It is normally held in lookingposition by a spring 43.

In conjunction with the gap-closing member I employ a leg-stop member 3.This has a relatively broad surface 30 which extends across the gap inthe hook, and a shank 31 which is pivoted by pin 24 to the gapclosingmember. This leg-stop member lies inward of the gap-closing member, ornearer to the bottom line 15 of the hook. This legstop member at alltimes projects across the throat of the hook. With the gap-closingmember thrown back or in position where the flanges 20 thereof liewithin the recess 13 of the shank, a sheeps leg is free to enter thehook until it contacts with the stop 30, whereupon pressure against thestop 30 will swing the gap-closing member outward or into the positionshown in Fig. 1. The pawl 4, being held in contact with the teeth 23,the

gap-closing member will be held against return until manually releasedby pressure upon the upper end of the pawl at 42. To accommodate theshank 31 of the stop member, a continuation 14 of the slot in the shankis provided. The outer end of the stop member is to be supported uponthe outer or guard side 10 of the hook. The preferred manner of doingthis is to provide this end with cars 33, which embrace the sides of thearm 10, and thus securely support the outer end of the stop member.Attention is called to the fact that the pull of the animal against thehook is resisted entirely by the stop member 3, and not by the hookproper. This draws the gap-closing member down until the animal isgripped between the two as it would be gripped by the thumb and finger.To release the animal it is only necessary to press down the end 42 ofthe pawl and push the hook forward. 53

\Vhat claim as my invention and desire to patent is:

1. The combination with a sheep book of a hook-closing lever pivoted toone side of the hook well within its throat to swing from a positionextending outward along the shank to one extending across the throat ofthe hook, a leg-stop member hold to move lengthwise the hook andextending across the hook opening inward from said lever and havingactuating connection with the said lever .between its pivot and its hookclosing end and means for retaining said parts in holding position.

2. The combination with a sheep hook having an extended and outwardlyflaring tip, of a hook closing lever pivoted to one side of the hook ashort distance from its bend and adapted to swing from a positionextending outwardly along the shank to a position extending across thethroat, and a leg-stop member having a shank pivoted to said leveroutwardly from its pivot and ex tending thence toward the bend of thehook and then laterally across the hook opening and means for preventingsaid parts from returning to open position.

3. The combination with a sheep hook having an extended and outwardlyflaring tip, of a hook closing lever pivoted to one side of the hook ashort distance from its bend and adapted to swing from a positionextending outwardly along the shank to a position extending across thethroat, and a leg-stop member having a shank pivoted to said leveroutwardly from its pivot and extending thence toward the bend of thehook and then laterally across the hook opening, said leg-stop memberhaving guiding engagement with the hook preventing lateral displacementand means engaging said parts to retain them in holding position.

4. The combination with a sheep hook having an extended and outwardlyflaring tip, of a hook closing lever pivoted to one side of the hook ashort distance from its bend and adapted to swing from a positionextending outwardly and along the shank to a position extending acrossthe throat, and a leg-stop member having a shank pivoted to said leveroutwardly from its pivot and extending thence toward the bend of thehook and then laterally across the hook opening, the shank of saidleg-stop member having sliding engagement with the shank side of thehook and its tip having sliding engagement with the other side of thehook and a catch engaging to retain said parts in holding position. 1

5. The combination with a sheep hook of a hook-closing lever pivoted toone side of the hook well within its throat to swing from a positionextending outward along the shank to one extending across the throat ofthe hook, a leg-stop member held to move lengthwise the hook andextending across the hook opening inward from said lever and havingactuating connection with the said lever between its pivot and its hookclosing end, and a catch automatically acting to hold said parts inleg-holding positions.

6. The combination with a sheep hook of a hook-closing lever pivoted toone side of the hook well within its throat to swing from a positionextending outward along the shank to one extending across the throat ofthe hook, a leg-stop member held to-move lengthwise the hookandextending across the hook opening inward from said lever and havingactuating connection with the said lever between its pivot and its hookclosing end, and a pivoted spring held lever engaging the hook closinglever to prevent return to the open position and having an end manuallyengageable for releasing the hook-closing lever.

7. The combination in a sheep hook of the hook member comprising shankand tip sides connected at one end by a bend, the tip ex tending forsome distance back along'the shank and then curving outwardly therefromto form a wide entrance, a gap-closing lever pivoted to the shank sideof the hook opposite the outer part of the parallel part of the tip sideof the hook, to swingacross the throat and outward to liev along the thecurve joining, the shank and tip side of the hook and a catch engagingto retain said parts in holding position.

8. The combination in a sheep hook of the hook member comprising shank.and tip sides connected at one end by a bend, the tip extending for somedistance back along the shank andthen curving outwardly therefrom toforma wide entrance, a gapeclosing lever pivoted to the shank side of thehook opposite the outer part of the parallel part of the tip side of thehook, to swing across the throat and outward to lie along the shank, aleg-stop member of an L-shape having the end of its stem pivoted to thegap-closing member outward from its pivot, the stem of said leg-stopmember lying along the shank side of the hook inward from thegap-closing member and with its base extending across the hook openingoutward of the curve joining the shank and tip side of the hook, saidleg-stop member having guiding engagement with both sides of the hookand means for holding said parts in closed position.

9. In a sheep hook, a hook having a slot extending through its centralplane adjacent the outer part of its throat, a gap-closing lever pivotedin said slot to swing from a position extending outward along the shankto a position extending across and closing the throat of the hook, thepivot end of said lever having ratchet teeth, a catch lever pivoted inthe slot in the shank of the hook and engaging the teeth on saidgap-closing pivoted to the gap-closing lever outward connecting it withthe gap-closing lever, the outer end of said leg-stop member beingbifurcated and spanning the outer arm of the hook and means forretaining said parts in holding position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto ailixed my signature this 21st dayof February, 1914.

A. G. ADAIR.

\Vitnesses:

I'IENRY L. Rm'xonos, 1. WV. MAsoN, W'. H. ROBERTSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Yatents,

Washington, D. G.

